Watching this video makes me wish I lived outside the city with a bit more space! The creator of this video is the founder of The Humanure Handbook, which is a classic guide on creating great compost from human manure. If you haven’t read this, I strongly suggest checking it out even if you don’t plan on building a system. His observations and insights are great, such as calling the human race a disease on page 1… dude’s spot on.

Although they don’t talk about the specifics of the process, the video is cute all around.

I’m not surprised the bags they’re using aren’t breaking down so easily. They mention that they’re made of potato, but who knows what else? If you’re going to purchase a biodegradable bag for your waste and you want it to actually work the way you’re imagining, ensure that it meets U.S. Composting Council standard ASTM D6400. Otherwise, it’s just a plastic bag with a spray-on coating…in other words it never breaks down fully and was a waste of your time and extra money. “Oxo biodegradable” bags in stores are huge culprits of this, amongst others.

What do you think of this setup? One day I will build my own composting toilet. I know I keep saying it, but seriously…I will do it soon. It’s too awesome to ignore. I’d recommend checking out the Humanure Handbook if you’re looking to learn more…everyone that has a composting toilet will tell you about this book.

I’ve been reading a lot more about composting toilets lately, and I found this short video on Youtube explaining their importance and simplicity. Note they use shredded wood chips as the activator with each sitting session… a handy tip for you composters out there. High in carbon, gets to work quick.

The highlight of the video is near the end where they show all these people sitting on their toilets reading various things…pretty weird!

Philadelphia—September 2010—The Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) will celebrate the opening of the second composting toilet in Fairmount Park at the WPA shelter near the Rex Avenue Bridge on Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 3:30 p.m. This composting toilet is totally self- sustaining, with no need for plumbing, and electrical power supplied by solar panels.
“We are excited to partner with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation on the installation of the Wissahickon Valley’s second bio-composting toilet,” says FOW Executive Director Maura McCarthy. “This is the first compost toilet entirely powered by alternative energy sources.”
A survey conducted by FOW in 2006 indicated that 74% of park users wanted more bathroom facilities in the Wissahickon. These toilets are helping to meet that need and are serving as prototypes for future composting toilets in the park.
FOW structures crew worked with Fairmount Park District 3 staff (part of PPR) and the Student Conservation Association to restore the WPA structure and install the composting toilet. The toilets are cost effective, environmentally safe, odorless, and require no water or chemicals and very little maintenance.
“These composting toilets are one of the many ways we are building a green infrastructure in the most important green space in our city,” says McCarthy. -Denise Larrabee

Yay, go Philly! This is some some local news for me, we’re getting another composting toilet. Have you ever looked into these? Pretty awesome stuff. What isn’t awesome is the price ($2,000+), but you use them in the proper application (ie in a public park), they pay themselves off pretty quickly.